If you have never made bread, figured out how yeast works or don’t want to do all that kneading then this recipe is for you. The only thing that you really need is time and then you will have the most wonderful artisanal bread. Friends will ask what bakery made it.

Mediterranean Olive Bread

Mix ingredients in a bowl. I use a glass one. Cover with plastic wrap and leave in your kitchen for 12 to 24 hours.

Then, tip the dough onto a floured surface and with either your hands or a spatula gently lift and tuck the edges of the dough into the middle to form a ball. Turn it over to hide the seams. Place the dough on a sheet of parchment paper, put back in your bowl; cover with a clean towel and let sit for 1½ hours.

Place a Dutch oven or cast iron pot with a lid into your oven and pre-heat to 450 degrees.

Lift dough out of the bowl with the parchment paper and place both in the Dutch oven/cast iron pot; put lid on and bake for 35 minutes. Remove the lid and bake for an additional 20 minutes.

Remove from oven and cool on a wire rack. Test by tapping bottom of loaf...it should sound hollow.

Story and photos by Michelle Annette TremblayThe Land Between is the only area in the province with exposed rock barrens, and also has the highest concentration of lakes. We have an abundance of lakes, rivers, streams and wetlands; swamps, fens, bogs, and marshes. With all this water and plant diversity comes an explosion of animal and insect diversity. The Land Between hosts flora and fauna from both the north and the south, living side by side. There are also species living here that you won't find anywhere else in the world, including the five-lined skink, Ontario's only native lizard.

Story and photos by Brendan TroyMoose are synonymous with winter. Their lengthy limbs aid them through feet of snow and hold them high to reach nutritious twigs. These Canadian giraffes can survive the toughest winters and look comfortable in any snowy scene. Often feeding along roadways...

By John HopkinsIt seems like these days longevity in the music business is measured in years, perhaps months, but certainly not decades. Yet in 2018 Belleville’s own Commodores Orchestra will celebrate nine decades of swinging. It is an impressive achievement for any musical collection, but especially for a group that not only grew and thrived through the big band era of the 1940s, but has also managed to keep the music alive through the lean years as well.

By Shelley WildgenLet’s face it. We all like to be liked. And now, thanks to Mark Zuckerberg and his college buddies, we can forever alternate between receiving compliments and delivering our opinions with barely a hitch.

By Barry PenhaleGuardians of Canada’s history warrant a big vote of appreciation for the countless ways our war dead have been remembered. Honouring those men and women in the armed forces who gave their all is evident in the built memorials across Hastings County and by the annual November 11 Remembrance Day services.

By John HopkinsA friend recently invited me to participate in a 5k run in his neighbourhood. I enjoy running – it is my physical activity of choice – and it was nice to take part in something organized that did not involve one of my regular routes.

In his book ‘Sajo and her Beaver People’ the author Grey Owl – widely acknowledged for his appreciation of our First Nations – remarks on the industriousness and intelligence of the beaver. He describes them as “the very wisest” among the creatures of the forest, and “especially respected” by the native Canadians.I find I must also pay them a grudging respect, following the events of last autumn, although I might choose to use words like conniving and devious in my assessment.

I don’t get it. No one loves a seasonal holiday more than me but something has taken a rather wicked turn. The whole Halloween hoopla seems less about trick or treating and more about, well, I’m not sure. Orange light strings deceptively decorate front porches as bodies hang from apple trees, makeshift cemeteries pop up where friendly front yards used to be. I can feel my very soul adjusting uncomfortably while catching a quick glimpse from the corner of my eye as I blithely drive to the grocery store. Last year, the day after Halloween, I spied a girl I went to high school with gathering skulls off her front lawn. Jeepers!

By John HopkinsSo picture this. You’ve stepped out on a limb and organized a classical and jazz music festival in the village of Stirling, and during a break in the action Guido Basso appears backstage and asks if he can sit-in with the jazz band, the John Sherwood Trio. Yup, that Guido Basso, internationally-acclaimed horn player and recipient of the Order of Canada.

Story and photos by Michelle Annette TremblayThrough his company, Gallo-Teck, the entrepreneur designs and installs automated renewable energy systems and collaborates with some of the biggest names in the industry. What does all that mean in layman's terms? Basically, Michele got into renewable energy right at the cusp 18 years ago and has been on the cutting edge ever since, constantly upping his game with new skills, knowledge and groovy innovations.Like his solar-powered pontoon boat. As far as he knows, it’s the only one like it in the world.

Story and photos by Sarah VanceDuring live edge milling the bark is left intact and the natural lines of the tree are preserved. Then the wood is sanded and hand polished, so as to highlight every knot and ligament in the cut. Each live edge slab is a unique and artisanal ‘slice in a tree’s life’ - which is then manufactured into functional art and furniture."I can build several tables from the same tree, but no two tables will be the same," says Hennessey.

By Lindi PierceIn Hastings County communities there are dozens of commercial, civic, religious and residential buildings that were standing on the very day of Confederation. Some are designated heritage structures, carefully preserved as museums. Others are maintained by dedicated volunteers or owners. Yet others are buried under subsequent additions, humble old workhorses who still serve their communities. Perhaps your favourite is on this list...

By Barry PenhaleEstablished in 1956 and situated on a point of land dividing upper and lower Lake St. Peter Lake, a scenic park whose name is shared with a birch-lined lake and a long-established community has charmed travelers exploring Ontario for many years. Though limited in size, the park’s almost primitive beauty lures many repeat campers back to their favourite location among the inviting campsites.

Stirling, Ontario is definitely the place to be this summer. Not only is it one of the most picturesque hidden gems in Ontario, but it's also hosting two uniquely-Canadian can't-miss events! Do you like cheese? Wine? Midway rides? Sheep? The Tragically Hip? Read on!

By John HopkinsMeasuring about a foot in diameter and maybe two feet in length, the cleanly cut piece of wood had obviously originated in a woodpile somewhere. It did not belong nestled on the ground among the trees near our riverbank, where Nancy and I discovered it a few days after the rising waters of the Moira River had begun their recession.

By Shelley WildgenCher did it. Oprah did it. George Foreman and Muhammad Ali both did it. They all retired then came back with a vengeance. Lance Armstrong did it too, but we don’t care. Cher’s still “shoop-shooping” it up in Vegas, Oprah went from talk show maven to network mogul and the famous boxers kept returning to the ring until one of them got grilling.

By Angela HawnWaste not, want not. If Astoria Organic Matters Canada were looking for a slogan, this one would fit nicely. Just ask Al Hamilton what his company does and you’ll find his answer rings with similar simplicity. “We’re basically a compost manufacturing facility,” explains the 52-year-old with obvious enthusiasm for his subject. “We take in all kinds of organic waste and raw materials with no additives, blend them and make compost out of it.”

Story and photos by Sarah VanceThe York River is a watershed that begins at Baptiste and extends through Bancroft, along New Carlow, into the Ottawa River and eventually to the Atlantic Ocean. For the cultures who share the shoreline, the river puts food on the table. Morels and fiddleheads are harvested in the Spring; cranberries and wild rice harvested in the Summer; and beavers trapped in the Fall.

by Shelley Wildgen There are countless upcycling sources that will give you the ideas and the methods to put it all together and the end result is equally noble. You will have created something that isn’t exactly what it was but still has purpose. Sort of like an ‘alternative fact’, except that it’s real and better for the environment.

By Michelle Annette TremblayAs hard as she tried, Alison Sabo couldn't sleep. Restless in bed, she kept thinking about a social media post from earlier that day. It had been a photo and brief description of a big friendly dog, likely a Briard, named Kevin. He was a province away, in a Montreal shelter, due to be euthanized within a matter of days because no-one had adopted him...

By Sarah VanceDavid B. Milne first came to Bancroft with his canoe and camping supplies on the I B & O Railway in 1947. He was already recognized as one of Canada’s greatest artists. He had exhibited alongside Monet, Matisse, Picasso, Braque and Duchamp and the American modernists at the famous Armory Show in New York in 1913 yet he was still little known to the Canadian general public.

By Barry PenhaleSettled in the 1830s, the community on Stoco Lake now known as Tweed was originally called Hungerford Mills, named after the township. Later renamed after the Tweed River in southeastern Scotland, the settlement was incorporated as a village in 1891. Tweed was a bustling place when I first began visiting during the 1950s...

In his book ‘Sajo and her Beaver People’ the author Grey Owl – widely acknowledged for his appreciation of our First Nations – remarks on the industriousness and intelligence of the beaver. He describes them as “the very wisest” among the creatures of the forest, and “especially respected” by the native Canadians.I find I must also pay them a grudging respect, following the events of last autumn, although I might choose to use words like conniving and devious in my assessment.

What was it this year? Dry January? Perhaps a banishment of carbs, gluten, red meat - or all three? Maybe you opted for the stalwart stressing less, sleeping more or sleeping less, moving more? They’re all noble resolutions and pretty doable for a while. The cycle that just keeps on giving, year after year. Clumsily, we climb aboard the lofty promise train out of the winter of our discontent, knowing all the while that we’ll easily be granted permission to disembark our chubby, well-intentioned promises before the spring thaw.

If it is artisanal, innovative, and a bit edgy, Miriam Hookings is ‘all over it’. Like her artistic endeavours, Hookings stands out in the rural crowd, with a creativity that mirrors the pulse of Hastings Highlands... In the summer you can find her engaging live theatre patrons in Bancroft. She also enlivens the stage at the Arlington Hotel, where she moonlights as the lead vocalist with indie-band Natural Radio.

Tick tock, tick tock. In an era where much time is spent lamenting how little time we have, woodworker Glen Finch seems to have all the time in the world on his hands. Quite literally. While the rest of us buzz through our days at the speed of light, helplessly watching the minutes fly by, this 69-year-old artisan spends every spare second...

After 31 years of working at the Marchmont Home in Belleville, The Rev. Robert Wallace recorded several relevant events cryptically in his diary. August 3, 1913: “R.W. gave Farewell address at Baptist Church – Review of Thirty-one years works in Belleville.” August 4. “Farewell Reception and Presentation”. Then he took a well-earned holiday: “12th sailed for England”.